FuzzyPaws

Hey everyone! I'm a long-time lurker here, although I'm no stranger to Z-cars. I've been coveting these beauties for quite a while and actually have a 1982 280ZX 2+2 that I bought and am restoring as a gift for my boyfriend (which has been going a bit slow since college has been eating all my time).

Well, today I took the plunge and picked up a Z for myself, as well! I've dreamed of owning one of these for such a long time now and finally found a nice one at the right price. So I'm now the owner of a 1976 280Z 2+2 in the 301 color code, with a tan interior. I can't wait to dig into it and get it fixed up. It does run, since my boyfriend drove it over 60 miles to my home while I drove my own car. However, the brakes are completely shot and whenever the brake pedal is pressed the car whistles a rather comical tune. The steering is also incredibly stiff and needs some work as well since it's nearly impossible to get this thing to turn. It also has an exhaust leak which causes the cabin to fill with fumes, which means the windows need to be down at all times while driving. Over all, it needs lots of TLC, but the engine runs strong, it's fairly clean, and it's all mine!

I shall take better photos of it tomorrow morning when there's light out, but here's a quick iPhone shot of it. This will likely become my build thread as I keep on working on the car, fixing it up, and upgrading it. I'll be going the 'resto-mod' route with this one.

FuzzyPaws

I finally got some new pics of the car today. I also put in an order for a new brake booster since mine is all rusted up along the bottom and has a nasty vacuum leak. I should have it by the end of the week. Then I shall tackle the steering issues.


Needs a bath!


The interior is rough, cracked dash hiding under the dash mat, the usual. It's not great, but it's not too terrible either.


I originally was really hoping to get a Z with black leather since it's easier to color coordinate when painting the exterior, but this honey color has really grown on me! When I get around to fixing the interior (working on mechanical stuff first) I will change out the carpet for black, however.


Love these little details. The paint is all original, too. In some areas it's still fairly shiny. I will eventually buff it and give it some love, since it will be a while before I get to work on the exterior of the car.


<3 my 2+2. Tail lights are also in good condition, no haze/cracks/damage.


A little bit of rust on the side, but the body is straight (minor dings here and there) and looks good.



Needs lots of TLC in here, but it starts right up and runs strong. It actually starts up easier than my daily driver!

NismoPick

Wow! Great find! And welcome to ZDriver!

FuzzyPaws

Thanks! I've had my nose buried in the FSM since I got this car and I'm anxiously awaiting my parts so I can begin fixing it up! I've wanted a Z car for a while now; they actually first caught my eye when I was taking an automotive engines class almost 2 years ago. There was a poster in class showing a S30 and S130 and the sleek design just caught my eye immediately. I've been scouring CL for a while now, looking for the right opportunity to jump on one, and this 2+2 just happened to be the lucky one for me.

Of course, now I won't be getting much else done since I'll be spending my time either A) fiddling with the car or B) browsing the forums for more tips on how to fiddle with the car.

NismoPick

Slightly off topic, but I see you are rocking a Canon 5D MKII. Yummy.

FuzzyPaws

So today I decided to fiddle with my air system a bit while waiting for my brake booster to be delivered.


Rusty! Yuck


Minor rust inside too. Not too bad. Filter wasn't that dirty, but I'm overhauling the whole thing so I bought a new one anyway.


Pulled the AFM as well. Z is running rich, so I'm going to slowly comb through the air/fuel management system until I find out why.


All washed and clean!


Applying some Naval Jelly to work off the rust. Sorry for the iPhone pic..gloves were too messy to grab my dSLR.


I didn't grab a photo after it was cleaned up (dirty gloves) but here's a shot of the new color I sprayed it with. Love the coppery color!


All done! Gotta do the bottom half as well. I'll do that later tonight.


Dirrrrrrty AFM. Working on cleaning it.



Getting cleaner! Working the outside as well, since it was corroded and nasty. I will likely spray the outside with the same coppery color so my AFM will at least look pretty.

Sorry for the pic-heavy post! This is totally going to end up being my build thread, so it will cover all these little things.

FuzzyPaws

Forgot to reply to this earlier, but yep, I have a 5D MKII and some L glass (along with more lights than I can count). I actually can't wait until I get the Z running smoothly so I can wash it and take it out for a proper photo shoot. These 'sitting in my car port looking sad and dusty' photos do it no justice. I also have an automotive rig set up which I plan to use with the Z since who doesn't love a good rolling shot?

SportBikeMike

Nice car and good luck with the progress!

FuzzyPaws

Yesterday I cleaned the AFM some more, polished the inside a bit, and prepped it for paint. Today I got it painted, along with the bottom part of the air filter housing. I just need to go grab some new hose clamps since the original Z ones are rusted beyond use and then I can install everything back in the Z! Here's a few pics. My brake booster also arrived today so I will be installing that tomorrow, since I'm running out of daylight and there's no decent lighting in my apartment's car port (plus it's been raining, and working in the rain isn't very fun)


Gettin' it nice and clean!


Starting to paint it.


More paint work, along with some other, non AFM parts.


Ready to go back in the Z!


Thanks! I'm having a lot of fun working on it.

ohsemix

I have 3 questions. is that turbo AFM? what paint are you using? and how much did you get the brake booster for ? nice job by the way

runningjalapeno

Nice looking car.

FuzzyPaws

Nope, it's the non-turbo model that's standard on the 280Z. The paint is VHT engine paint in the 'burnt copper' color. As for the brake booster, it's a remanufactured unit which I picked up from RockAuto for $120 + $40 core. It was the most expensive booster that RockAuto offers, but still better priced than other places. And thanks! I can't wait to install all of this stuff back on the Z and see how it all looks together.


Thanks!

FuzzyPaws

I went ahead and installed the AFM and new air filter today. The Z looks much better with some color under the hood. It's also a LITTLE less stinky now, although it still produces a noticeable exhaust/gasoline smell when it runs.



I will be finishing the brake booster install tomorrow since I got a late start on work today and ran out of daylight. I wish I had a well lit garage, so I could work at all hours of the day/night as I please. I also wish that the cotter pin by the brake pedal was easier to access. I'm a petite female with small hands and even I had to twist and turn in ways that would make a yoga master blush just to reach it. The fact that I was up against the wall in my parking space and couldn't open my door all the way definitely made things more awkward. I did finally get it out after a few minutes though. :P

ohsemix

when are you posting more updates?

FuzzyPaws

Hey everyone! I just wanted to update here and let everyone know that I'm still alive. Unfortunately my health took an unexpected turn earlier this month and after 3 ER visits, a ton of tests, and lots of downtime I'm feeling better now although I still don't have a diagnosis as to what went wrong. I'm normally very robust and healthy so this was a rather frightening experience and the lack of answers is rather unsettling. I'm just glad that I'm feeling healthy again.

I am hoping to get back to work on my Z after the New Year since the holidays are making everything hectic right now. I've been dying to work on it but simply couldn't do anything when I was sick since I could barely walk 10-20 feet without feeling exhausted, much less work on a car.

ohsemix

well its good to know you are feeling better and can give us an update